How to build : a putrtefyied hand which become a group of bees

[purple justice]

I would like to create a character with a weak breath and heart troubles.

One of its hand is putrefyied and killed the character slowly.

 

When the hand touch any form of life , the hand becomes bees who are trying to lodge inside.

The character feels pain when a bee is killed. But when a bee succeed to lodge inside the living form , the character's breath and heart trouble get a bit better. If the whole swarm succeed to lodge, all the troubles will disappear .

 

Any idea to do this ?

[Mickael]

Re: How to build : a putrtefyied hand which become a group of bees

 

The breath and heart trouble could be a "dependence" complication (dependence to using the ability with bees on the living forms).

The attack iself could be a Hand Attack with some sort of AVAD advantage.

 

The character feels pain when a bee is killed

 

It could be a side effect limitation on the Hand Attack power.

[Barwickian]

Re: How to build : a putrtefyied hand which become a group of bees

 

Justice, if this is your first go at a roleplaying game, as you mentioned in another post, I'm very impressed with your creativity and understanding of the way RPGs work. I love this bee/hand idea.

 

There are several ways of building what you want - what you have to do is work out the primary purpose of it is. Then work out which parts involve game mechanics and which are just special effects.

 

Mickael's suggestion of a dependency is a good one if the character has to keep using the power in order to maintain his abilities.

 

But if it's a bonus, you may want to look at it more detail. Please note that some of the suggestions below may not be in the basic rulebook, but are in the full Hero 6 Character Creation book.

 

First off, the shortness of breath/heart issue is easy: just buy lower levels of END and REC (and possible lower STUN and CON as well). By lower levels, I mean lower than average for PCs in your game (if this is a superheroic game, even a short-of-breath superhero is likely to have higher END than a normal).

 

The fact that the hand is slowly killing the PC seems like background to me, so isn't worth any points in game terms.

 

Now decide whether the bee/hand is an attack. Can it be turned off (for instance, by wearing a glove)? Or is it a curse, preventing the character using the hand (in which case it's a Physical Complication, possibly also with Distinctive Feature).

 

If the bees do damage to whatever they burrow into, you're probably looking at some kind of attack power. You could make a case for either normal or killing damage, and you could also make a case for the power advantage No Normal Defence (defence is sealed coverage of the body part touched). If the burrowing bee takes a while, you could add Damage Over Time. You also need to work out how much damage the attack does - ie, is it a serious threat to opponents (higher damage), or is just a nasty way of getting some extra END (lower damage). It also sounds like the attack doesn't take much effort from the PC, so I'd buy Reduced END.

 

It sounds like the character has no conscious control over the bees, but I don't think I'd call that a power limitation as he still has the choice touch a living thing or not (ie, to attack or not).

 

To simulate the easing of the character's breathing, I'd buy Aid END and REC and link it to the attack (or, if you aren't treating the bees as an attack, than buy it as standalone Aid END and REC, and make it contingent on touching someone).

 

If the character feels pain when a bee is killed (I assume this happens when the attack is used), this is a side-effect. Call it 1D6 STUN damage (I'm pushing the rules a little here - the limitation should be 3d6 STUN for a minor effect, but I'm assuming a lower-powered campaign where 3D6 is significant)

 

As the number of bees goes down, the character's problems disappear... why not just use experience points to buy more END and REC as time goes on. Only allow the player to do this if the character has used enough of the bees to justify an improvement in his condition. When you and the player agree the time is right (when the END and REC are high enough), simply rule all the bees are gone. The character loses the attack power (maybe the points can be switched into more END and REC), or buys off the complications.

 

So, taking some of these ideas and working them up in game terms (and remember the exact levels and modifiers may change in your campaign)...

 

(1) Buy fewer (or sell back) REC and END points.

 

(2) Hand of bees: (Total: 50 Active Cost, 23 Real Cost) Killing Attack - Hand-To-Hand 1/2d6, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Attack Versus Alternate Defense (target is insulated; All Or Nothing; +1/2), Damage Over Time (2 damage increments, damage occurs every Turn, +1 1/4) (32 Active Points); No STR Bonus (-1/2), Side Effects: 1D6 normal damage to character, Side Effect occurs automatically whenever Power is used (-1/2) (Real Cost: 16) plus Aid END 2d6 (12 Active Points); Only to Aid Self (-1), Linked (Killing Attack - Hand-To-Hand; -1/2) (Real Cost: 5) plus Aid REC 1d6 (6 Active Points); Only to Aid Self (-1), Linked (Killing Attack - Hand-To-Hand; -1/2) (Real Cost: 2)

 

(3)Complication - Distinctive features: Putrefying hand (easily concealable with glove and perfume; Causes major reaction; Detectable with commonly used senses) 10pts.

 

How's that?

 

Edit: The way I've built this, the character will have to make an attack roll to touch someone with his bee-hand; if the attack succeeds or not, he'll take 1D6 stun damage (the pain); if the attack succeeds his END and REC will get better for a short period of time. You may like to rule (purely as a special effect) that the pain damage only occurs if the attack succeeds. If the attack succeeds, the victim will take 1D3 killing damage immediately, another 1D3 killing damage one turn later and the final 1D3 killing damage another turn later.

 

If the character wants the REC and END boost, he will have to touch someone, and they will have to suffer the damage. If they undergo the process voluntarily, he character has to use an attack move (thus ending his phase), but he won't have to make an attack roll as they aren't resisting.

[Doc Democracy]

Re: How to build : a putrtefyied hand which become a group of bees

 

This is an interesting one. You want the character to begin with a disadvantage that will disappear over time during gameplay. Now that is easily done as Andy pointed out - you can model the breathing and heart problems with some complications. I would go with a physical limitation of not being able to breathe easily - limits all the time greatly (game effect is all END using costs 2x END). I would go for weak heart where physical activity that uses more than a set amount of END a CON roll is required to continue the effort or a phase is lost.

 

These are two decent complications. However, you might ask the player not to count them in the final totals. Instead he could use the same number of points to build an attack along the same number of points - the attack is useful but to begin with not very successful in getting bees into people. However, the complications lessen as the attacks are successful and the more successful attacks you make the more likely it will be that the next bee will be successful.

 

In this manner you should have a period where the bees will be there and then pretty soon the character will be cured - when the last of the complications disappear, so do the bees and the attack form. All of this would be effectively cost neutral.

 

Personally, I would ask the player to consider the situation after the affliction is cured - what happens then? And ask for there to be a ready made power with counter-balancing complications to slot into place in their stead.

 

 

Doc

[purple justice]

Re: How to build : a putrtefyied hand which become a group of bees

 

I'm very impressed with your creativity and understanding of the way RPGs work. I love this bee/hand idea.

thanks for this.

 

Now decide whether the bee/hand is an attack. Can it be turned off (for instance, by wearing a glove)? Or is it a curse, preventing the character using the hand (in which case it's a Physical Complication, possibly also with Distinctive Feature).

Not a glove but a medecine supplement ( L-Leucine associated to L-Taurine ).

 

It sounds like the character has no conscious control over the bees, but I don't think I'd call that a power limitation as he still has the choice touch a living thing or not (ie, to attack or not).

Yes , the character doesn't have control of the bees. But the character is immunized , and I think it is considered like an advantage according to the BR. So it will increase the price of the power.

 

To simulate the easing of the character's breathing, I'd buy Aid END and REC and link it to the attack (or, if you aren't treating the bees as an attack, than buy it as standalone Aid END and REC, and make it contingent on touching someone).

good idea.

 

If the character feels pain when a bee is killed (I assume this happens when the attack is used), this is a side-effect. Call it 1D6 STUN damage (I'm pushing the rules a little here - the limitation should be 3d6 STUN for a minor effect, but I'm assuming a lower-powered campaign where 3D6 is significant)

I will try to do this.

As the number of bees goes down, the character's problems disappear... why not just use experience points to buy more END and REC as time goes on. Only allow the player to do this if the character has used enough of the bees to justify an improvement in his condition. When you and the player agree the time is right (when the END and REC are high enough), simply rule all the bees are gone. The character loses the attack power (maybe the points can be switched into more END and REC), or buys off the complications.

No the breath and heart problems disapears when the full warm is lodging inside the creature who touched the hand.

 

Hand of bees: (Total: 50 Active Cost, 23 Real Cost) Killing Attack - Hand-To-Hand 1/2d6, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Attack Versus Alternate Defense (target is insulated; All Or Nothing; +1/2), Damage Over Time (2 damage increments, damage occurs every Turn, +1 1/4) (32 Active Points); No STR Bonus (-1/2), Side Effects: 1D6 normal damage to character, Side Effect occurs automatically whenever Power is used (-1/2) (Real Cost: 16) plus Aid END 2d6 (12 Active Points); Only to Aid Self (-1), Linked (Killing Attack - Hand-To-Hand; -1/2) (Real Cost: 5) plus Aid REC 1d6 (6 Active Points); Only to Aid Self (-1), Linked (Killing Attack - Hand-To-Hand; -1/2) (Real Cost: 2)

Thanks a lot ; You've done the power of my dream. Merci beaucoup.

 

 

Edit: The way I've built this, the character will have to make an attack roll to touch someone with his bee-hand;

Do you mean a DEX roll ? Because my character need to be nimble to touch with the hand. (s)he cannot fight because (s)he is ill since (s)he is born. It's not a fighter.

His/her OCV and DCV will be voluntary weak.

if the attack succeeds or not, he'll take 1D6 stun damage (the pain); if the attack succeeds his END and REC will get better for a short period of time. You may like to rule (purely as a special effect) that the pain damage only occurs if the attack succeeds. If the attack succeeds, the victim will take 1D3 killing damage immediately, another 1D3 killing damage one turn later and the final 1D3 killing damage another turn later.

I take your first idea (with DEX roll). The pain is independant of the roll success. I didn't know there was dices with only three faces.

If the character feels pain when a bee is killed (I assume this happens when the attack is used), this is a side-effect. Call it 1D6 STUN damage (I'm pushing the rules a little here - the limitation should be 3d6 STUN for a minor effect, but I'm assuming a lower-powered campaign where 3D6 is significant)

The character is a human used to suffer. So 1D6 instead of 3D6 are perfect.

 

If the character wants the REC and END boost, he will have to touch someone, and they will have to suffer the damage. If they undergo the process voluntarily, he character has to use an attack move (thus ending his phase), but he won't have to make an attack roll as they aren't resisting.

No. Thanks for the idea but no.

I don't want a drainer or an absorber super hero. No steal

 

(3)Complication - Distinctive features: Putrefying hand (easily concealable with glove and perfume; Causes major reaction; Detectable with commonly used senses) 10pts.

I like this idea. So , the victim could guess my character's intention with a PER roll ?

Except if my character wears two gloves.

 

The breath and heart trouble could be a "dependence" complication (dependence to using the ability with bees on the living forms).

I will study this possiblity. But it may be too complex for me.

[Barwickian]

Re: How to build : a putrtefyied hand which become a group of bees

 

No the breath and heart problems disapears when the full warm is lodging inside the creature who touched the hand.

 

If this takes some time to achieve (ie, if the entire swarm doesn't lodge immediately), add the limitation Extra Time to both the linked Aid powers.

 

Do you mean a DEX roll ? Because my character need to be nimble to touch with the hand. (s)he cannot fight because (s)he is ill since (s)he is born. It's not a fighter.

His/her OCV and DCV will be voluntary weak.

 

I meant an attack roll, as the power is built as an attack. As a GM, you're free to rule that a DEX roll will suffice, but that doesn't really give an opponent much defence against the bee-touch. My advice is to stick with the attack roll.

 

I take your point about the character's poor combat skills, but Hero has several ways we can work with this. Keep the overall OCV and DCV low, and look for advantage in particular circumstances.

 

First, I think it's easier in hand-to-hand combat to touch someone than to hit them with enough force to damage them. And your power requires only a touch, not an all-out punch. If you agree, you can represent this by buying a number of 2-point combat skill levels (CSLs) only to touch. How many depends on the usual OCV/DCV in your game - enough to make a successful touch possible but not certain.

 

Second, look for situational advantages: surprise attack, attack from behind, etc, will reduce your opponent's DCV to half its usual level.

 

Third, if the hand has a disgusting or shocking appearance (see below), merely exposing it could class as a presence attack. A high enough success with the presence attack can reduce an opponent's DCV to 1/2 its usual level (this requires an presence attack success of EGO+20), or even down to DCV 0 (EGO+30). This will probably only be effective the first couple of times the character uses the presence attack on a particular set of opponents; after that they'll get used to it..

 

I like this idea. So , the victim could guess my character's intention with a PER roll ?

Except if my character wears two gloves.

 

Not really. I'm thinking of this putrifying hand as having a disgusting appearance - withered flesh, weeping or bleeding sores, pus, exposed bone and sinew, foul odour; you get the picture. Something that will shock and revolt people if they see or smell it. But the character can conceal it with a glove and perfume.

 

If the hand looks perfectly normal, there's no reason to take the distinctive feature. A normal-looking hand is, by definition, not distinctive.

 

Nor does the distinctive feature necessarily reveal what the character will do with his hand, although if word gets out about his power, you could give him a reputation to represent people's growing knowledge of his hand.

[Darbor]

Re: How to build : a putrtefyied hand which become a group of bees

 

Third, if the hand has a disgusting or shocking appearance (see below), merely exposing it could class as a presence attack. A high enough success with the presence attack can reduce an opponent's DCV to 1/2 its usual level (this requires an presence attack success of EGO+20), or even down to DCV 0 (EGO+30). This will probably only be effective the first couple of times the character uses the presence attack on a particular set of opponents; after that they'll get used to it..

I just want to second the presence attack idea. I don't know what kind of world this guy will be in but I would expect a lot of shock value for a bee-hand in most RPG worlds and if the hand was disgusting in some way it would add to the shock.

 

Imagine taking off your glove to reveal...a BEE-HAND. You could potentially have out of combat surprise combined with a presence attack to adjust the DCV for the actual attack. That would be pretty fearsome for such an otherwise weak character.

[purple justice]

Re: How to build : a putrtefyied hand which become a group of bees

 

Imagine taking off your glove to reveal...a BEE-HAND.

Imagine taking off your glove to reveal...a PUTREFYIED-HAND. Then you touch a living-form - for instance flies turning near your hand - in front of your future victim. And the hand becomes a BEE-HAND.

 

Is the victim would be more impressed?

 

Not really. I'm thinking of this putrifying hand as having a disgusting appearance - withered flesh, weeping or bleeding sores, pus, exposed bone and sinew, foul odour; you get the picture. Something that will shock and revolt people if they see or smell it. But the character can conceal it with a glove and perfume.

I love your description

First, I think it's easier in hand-to-hand combat to touch someone than to hit them with enough force to damage them..

Except my character is too weak to fight. My primary idea was the bees are the fighter.the character cannot walking a middle distance without suffering of breath. Running is forbidden. Fighting or any stressing physical situation is unadviced ( heart troubles ). Not directly.

I mean after the character try to touch someone , (s)he has to walk out of the HTH distance as fast as possible. Because a minor move ( the victim with a normal strength who hunt bees with its arms ) could hurt the character deadly.

And your power requires only a touch, not an all-out punch. If you agree, you can represent this by buying a number of 2-point combat skill levels (CSLs) only to touch. How many depends on the usual OCV/DCV in your game - enough to make a successful touch possible but not certain

In fact I have never been thinking of the game rules yet. I only have a precise idea of kind of characters I want and the sort of powers I want ( but I don't know which belong to who ). And I have a slight idea of the story....

The background of the characters will be complexs with explications of powers' origin (all acquired in the sadness ).

[Barwickian]

Re: How to build : a putrtefyied hand which become a group of bees

 

Imagine taking off your glove to reveal...a PUTREFYIED-HAND. Then you touch a living-form - for instance flies turning near your hand - in front of your future victim. And the hand becomes a BEE-HAND.

 

Is the victim would be more impressed?

 

Exactly. And you can represent this by buying extra Presence as a power, with the limitations Only to cause fear/shock and Only when hand is revealed. You culd happily buy an extra 20-30 PRE this way (and pay fewer points for them because of the limitations).

 

I love your description

 

Thanks.

 

Except my character is too weak to fight. My primary idea was the bees are the fighter.the character cannot walking a middle distance without suffering of breath. Running is forbidden. Fighting or any stressing physical situation is unadviced ( heart troubles ). Not directly.

I mean after the character try to touch someone , (s)he has to walk out of the HTH distance as fast as possible. Because a minor move ( the victim with a normal strength who hunt bees with its arms ) could hurt the character deadly.

 

This may be where you run into an inherent difficulty of a game (any game). Under standard Hero rules, in order to make an attack, you have to make an attack roll and that ends your current phase. You have to wait until the next phase to move away.

 

This rule is designed to stop characters doing what you want to do - attacking, then moving out of danger before they're attacked back. And the reason for stopping characters doing this is because it gives an unfair advantage in the game.

 

If you want to stay out of harm's way, how about making the bees a Ranged Attack? It isn't the power exactly as you envisaged it, in that it requires the character to have conscious control over when the hand turns to bees. But you could consciously launch a swarm of bees at a victim from a distance (if the hand becomes the bees, then this leaves the character without handswhile the swarm is attacking). You'd be safe from hand attacks in return, but would still be vulnerable to ranged attacks from enemies.

 

Another way of doing it, keeping closer to your power, is to say that the victim experiences incapacitating pain when the bees go into him. I'd build that as an Entangle, I think, probably targetted at the victim's EGO (since it represents pain). That should immobilise them until you move away - however, you may still be vulnerable to the victim's friends.

 

The background of the characters will be complexs with explications of powers' origin (all acquired in the sadness ).

 

Heh. With a power like that, I wouldn't expect a happy origin story.

[SuperKlaus]

Re: How to build : a putrtefyied hand which become a group of bees

 

Your idea is a guy who tries to, uh, touch people with bees? Name him "Groper Beeveland" or no one will respect you.

[purple justice]

Re: How to build : a putrtefyied hand which become a group of bees

 

Thanks for the advices.

 

The name is already choosen. It would be Pestilence.

[Darbor]

Re: How to build : a putrtefyied hand which become a group of bees

 

Good name!

 

I had forgotten that the bees didn't appear until the putrefied hand touched something. You might get two separate presence attacks for that! One for when he reveals the hand and again for when the hand turns to bees.